"Huff… huff…" Xu Cheng's panting grew distant. The Blood Moon World shattered. When the old woman reopened her eyes, the surroundings were just as they had been moments ago.
"Granny Manyi, are you alright?" Xu Jiujiu noticed something was off and supported her with concern.
The old woman glanced toward the youth in the distance, her expression shaken. The boy was walking into the Treasure Pavilion without so much as a backward glance, surrounded by a crowd of elite talents.
She swallowed.
To her eyes, Xu Cheng was a monster—a once-in-ten-thousand-years kind of genius, capable of suppressing an entire era. Still, no matter how exceptional, he hadn't fully matured yet.
Last time, during the competition, he only revealed the strength of a Soul King. Though he had many hidden cards, it didn't mean he could deploy them freely. For an old, seasoned Title Douluo like her to say she would fight him to mutual destruction had already been giving him a lot of credit. But this "encounter" truly let her witness the terrifying potential of this youth.
In a one-on-one duel, without relying on that mecha, he might not even lose to her!
Looking at his upright back, she suddenly felt pity—for the students who had participated in the tournament six months ago, and even more so, for the younger generation of this era.
He stood like an unscalable mountain.
A figure that would drive other prodigies to despair.
No… wait! What about four years from now?
The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament… he'd still be within the eligible age range by then, wouldn't he?
Granny Manyi fell silent.
"Your Highness, I've long heard of your name."
A mature, elegant woman in an orange evening gown approached with a smile on her lips.
"I'm the Gate Master of the Earth Dragon Sect, Nan Shuishui…" she quickly introduced herself before Xu Cheng could respond.
"Gate Master Nan, I've long heard of you as well." Xu Cheng smiled, exchanging pleasantries while quietly sizing up this minor character from the original work.
Later on, she had entered a tournament in the Sun Moon Empire, only to be abducted by the Holy Spirit Cult's third elder. Her clothes were stripped, but nothing happened to her—likely due to the elder's incompetence. Because of that, she was somewhat fortunate, unlike other captives who were imprisoned and tortured.
Now that he saw her in person—yes, her looks were indeed top-notch. No wonder she was the reason two geniuses had fought over her.
"Ning Hao, I've met His Highness before…"
Though both she and Ning Hao were aligned with the Sun Moon Empire, the latter's enthusiasm felt almost... submissive.
As the Sect Master of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect—one of wealth and influence—even if he had favors to ask of the Sun Moon Empire, should he really be this humble?
Nan Shuishui was puzzled but kept it to herself.
"Indeed. Your young sect master studied at my academy. I even personally taught him, so I'd say he's one of my students." Xu Cheng chuckled.
Ning Hao's closeness had only one reason: the test Xu Cheng had promised to Ning Tian.
For the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, upgrading the tower's rank was equivalent to revival—the goal the sect had strived for over ten thousand years. Many considered it more important than their own lives.
If Xu Cheng could make that happen, he'd be a savior to the entire sect.
Other hidden sects, either already migrated or planning to migrate to the Sun Moon Empire, began to gather around with friendly smiles, eager to engage.
Xu Cheng welcomed them all. After all, the current Sun Moon Empire sorely needed new blood.
But not everyone came in peace.
"You're all tripping over yourselves to kiss a brat's boots. Have you no dignity?" Tang Wen said coldly.
The air instantly grew tense.
Countless eyes turned to him.
Even the maids on the side turned pale and trembled, fearing being noticed by these powerful figures.
As one of the strongest hidden sects, the Clear Sky Sect wasn't entirely secretive—elders and disciples still roamed the world. Unlike ten thousand years ago when people were clueless about its depth, many now knew of Da Ming and Er Ming…
Thus, with Tang Wen representing the Clear Sky Sect, his words carried weight.
He cast a disdainful glance at Xu Cheng.
With a burly build and calloused hands, he radiated a pressure akin to a towering mountain.
Especially with his Super Douluo-level strength—even without releasing his martial soul, the pressure was intense.
"Well, old turtle? What do you think?"
He looked toward a middle-aged man beside him and sneered.
Xu Beicheng's face flickered with awkwardness. Inwardly, he cursed these muscle-bound fools from the hammer-wielding sect. As the head of a powerful hidden sect from the Dou Ling Empire, he had a voice among these elites.
But his son was currently studying at the Sun Moon Royal Academy!
What if he offended Xu Cheng and Xu made things difficult for his son?
Besides, with the shifting political winds and the terrifying strength the Sun Moon Empire had shown, choosing sides was becoming more and more complicated.
Yet this was Shrek's territory…
"Let's all maintain harmony, cough cough…"
After a moment of hesitation, he chose neutrality.
"Harmony? What a joke. If you want to stay a coward, then keep hiding. When the Sun Moon Empire's legions flatten Xingluo and storm Dou Ling and Tianhun, you'll understand what 'harmony' really means." Tang Wen snorted, clearly unhappy.
"Tang Wen! Don't go too far!" Xu Beicheng snapped coldly.
"Heh, boy—aren't you done spectating? Don't you plan to say something?" Tang Wen ignored him and looked at Xu Cheng.
"If you'd like, I can send troops to Tianhun today and wipe out the Clear Sky Sect."
Under countless gazes…
Xu Cheng smilingly said the words that made everyone's hearts tremble.
"Boy, think before you speak. If you talk nonsense, you might spark a continental war…" Tang Wen's heart also skipped a beat, but he forced composure, eyes narrowed as he stared down Xu Cheng.
He was well aware of the Sun Moon Empire's military might.
Had they only defeated the White Tiger Duke's army, no one would have cared. But they had steamrolled the Body Sect's strongest, and even Du Busi—a level 98 Super Douluo—had failed to stop them.
The Clear Sky Sect still had two ancestors, but if a fight broke out, they'd suffer dearly.
And with the Holy Spirit Cult possibly lurking in the shadows…
He couldn't afford to bear the consequences of war.
"Heh. I don't joke. Just say the word, and the Sun Moon Legion will gladly oblige." Xu Cheng said with a calm, unreadable expression.
"Besides, your sect's two ancestors came to my Sun Moon Empire and tried to abduct someone—we haven't even settled that score."
Everyone held their breath, afraid the two might ignite a real war. A war between top-tier powers would sweep the entire continent.
There were no bystanders in this room.
"Everyone is here for the auction today. Please, do me the favor of keeping the peace?" A voice drifted down from the second floor.
All eyes turned to see an old woman, supported by two young girls, slowly descending the stairs with a kind smile.
"Since it's Elder Lin, I, Tang Wen, am willing to let the matter rest." Tang Wen cupped his fists with respect. Backed into a corner, he gratefully took the way out offered by Shrek.
Elder Lin looked toward Xu Cheng.
"Very well." Xu Cheng nodded slightly.
The Clear Sky Sect may be arrogant, but they had reason to be. Right now, his defenses couldn't withstand a full assault from Ultimate Douluo. His trump cards were Elder Kong and Long Xiaoyao, but the two priest-level fighters from the enemy likely surpassed even Ultimate Douluo.
That was one reason he hadn't launched a full-scale war…
Plus, today's auction involved "dirty money."
Causing a scene would just ruin the whole deal.
"Very well." Elder Lin smiled.
"In that case, please follow me to the second floor."
The crowd filed upstairs.
"Phew, all auction houses look the same." Tang Ya looked around, criticizing the décor as she lay on a soft couch, popping grapes into her mouth.
The room was lavish, but not much different from those in Star Luo.
Same sofas, screens, maids, and fruits.
"Heh, if Star Luo has it, of course Shrek would too." Xu Cheng sat beside her, slipping an arm around her soft waist. "Feed me a grape."
Ning Hao, Nan Shuishui, and others had their own rooms.
This room held only Xu Cheng, Tang Ya, Gu Yuena, and Xiao Hongchen.
"Aiya~" Tang Ya blushed and glanced shyly at Gu Yuena and the others, but found them all casually chatting and eating fruit, seemingly unaware of what was happening.
Gu Yuena, as frosty as ever, sat quietly on the far left, not far from Xu Cheng. Her eyes stared straight at the screen, but her ears were a little red.
Luckily, the dim lighting kept it from being noticed.
"Ah Xiao, what are your future plans?" Xu Cheng let go of Tang Ya and turned to Xiao Hongchen.
"Hmm… to be honest, after spending some time at Shrek Academy—aside from Zhou Yi's idiotic behavior—it's been good. Especially chatting with Teacher Wang Yan. It refreshed my understanding of martial souls. He gave me an interesting suggestion: give metal life."
"Give it life?" Xu Cheng blinked.
Xiao Hongchen's talent was unquestionable. Even without medication, he was a top-tier genius. His metal manipulation was masterful—he relied on quantity to shock the audience early on.
But to be honest, it got stale in the later stages.
"Exactly. After I showed my martial soul, he got excited and said I was perfect for evolving it into 'living metal.' His idea was, if possible, I should try to generate metal that possesses life. It wouldn't need high intelligence—just enough to follow simple commands—and that alone would multiply my combat power."
"..."
Everyone looked a little confused.
"Metal can have life? Then can you mold a metal beauty for me to hang out with?" Lin Xi joked sleazily.
"Scram!"
" Living Metal... I think I'm starting to get some ideas," Xu Cheng nodded slightly.
An image of a certain pink starfish flashed through his mind. Yes, art is explosion...
Only, that one used clay, while this one summoned metal directly with soul skills.
Giving clay life—he was a good example of that.
And once this is achieved, Xiao Hongchen's future accomplishments would be terrifying—he definitely wouldn't fall behind.
"But that step is probably extremely hard to take..." Xu Cheng muttered.
"I want to give it a shot. Rather than resigning myself to mediocrity, I'd rather go all in," Xiao Hongchen grinned, clearly feeling the pressure from his buddy—Xu Cheng was just too monstrous. If he didn't risk it, he probably wouldn't even see the guy's back anymore.
They were both called geniuses—he wasn't willing to fall short.
"Come on, Ah Xiao, if you count as mediocre, then what does that make me? A total waste?" Lin Xi widened his eyes.
"Glad to see you're self-aware," Xiao Hongchen chuckled.
"Giving life to metal could be achieved through soul skills, or through taking rare treasures that mutate the martial soul or trigger a secondary awakening. I'll help you keep an eye out," Xu Cheng nodded slightly.
Then he sank into his spiritual sea.
He called out to Tianmeng to explain his intent.
After all, even after reviewing the original story in his mind, he couldn't recall any treasure like that. He had also quietly asked Gu Yue Na just now, and she shook her head—likely confirming that nothing like it existed. Tianmeng Ice Silkworm had drifted for quite a long time and even spent time in the deep sea, so he was fairly well-informed...
"Giving life to metal?" Tianmeng Ice Silkworm pondered for a moment.
He seemed to remember something: "When I was exploring the deep sea, I came across something. It had terrifying life force, and more importantly, its life energy wasn't like the Lake of Life in the Star Dou Forest, or like your carving knife's—it was strange. It wasn't simply about restoring life, but more like... hmm, it had the aura of a creator god. If you could fuse with it, consume it, or absorb its soul ring, there might be a chance…"
"Deep Sea Silver-Jelly Jellyfish—that should be its name."
Tianmeng thought for a moment and then hesitated: "But to be honest, it lives in the true deep sea. That's a genuine 'forbidden zone for humans'. Trying to catch a ten-thousand-year-old Deep Sea Silver-Jelly Jellyfish is near impossible."
"Got it."
Xu Cheng nodded.
He mentally noted the name.
Once the Sun-Moon Empire's soul tool technology reached a certain level, they would definitely expand into the deep sea. The resources there were incredibly rich, possibly even rivaling the Star Dou Forest. When that time came, trade would naturally develop as well…
"Welcome, everyone, to the Treasure Pavilion."
The screen lit up.
A red-clad figure appeared.
The young woman smiled sweetly at the screen. After a few simple words, she clapped her hands and signaled someone to bring in a small cart.
"Everyone, this is the first item of today's auction."
The cart was covered in a white cloth, and a thin layer of ice crystals had formed on its surface.
Clearly, this treasure was ice-related.
Xu Cheng showed a trace of interest—after all, his third martial soul was the ultimate form of ice. Anything shown today had a high chance of appealing to him…
"It is… the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice-Jade Marrow Bed!"
As the young woman lifted the cloth, a massive, snow-white block of ice appeared on the screen. Though called a "bed", it didn't resemble one in shape—obviously, carving it would waste the precious corners and edges of the Ice-Jade Marrow.
"Hissss..." Xu Cheng twitched at the corner of his mouth.
At the same time—
Inside his spiritual sea...
Electrolux sneezed, then looked around: ???
(End of Chapter)